THE AFL will continue to toy with the idea of running the national and rookie drafts in successive days but is unlikely to introduce the change this year.

The NAB AFL Draft will return to Sydney this year for the first time since 2011, with clubs to meet on Friday, November 25 to make their selections.

The League has yet to decide on a date for the rookie and pre-season draft, however it has all but ruled out holding them the day after the national intake, which had been floated as a possibility.

"At this stage there has been no discussion on changing the operation or timeline of the NAB AFL Draft and NAB AFL Rookie Draft," an AFL spokesperson said.

"The AFL may consider alternate options in future if there was significant interest in doing so from AFL clubs and other stakeholders."

The League has gradually closed the gap between the drafts in recent seasons, with just three days separating them last year – when the national draft was held in Adelaide on Tuesday and the rookie draft conducted via teleconference the following Friday.

But officials have also discussed staging the drafts over successive days, which would see the rookie draft take place the morning after the national draft has been completed.

Some clubs believe they would be ready to choose their rookies the next day simply by choosing the next player available on their talent list. 

Others would prefer a break between the drafts to take stock of their national intake before moving onto their rookie picks.

The AFL last year dramatically changed its draft night to mixed reviews with the introduction of the new father-son and academy bidding system.

Although the system worked in its plan for clubs pay closer to market value for top-end prospects, the event at Adelaide Convention Centre drew criticism for taking too long and drawing out the process too far.

Club recruiting teams were also placed in a room away from the crowd, broadcast centre and stage.